Presented as part of Concert of Colors 2025 | Free admission day at Detroit Historical Museum
What began as a social justice advocacy project between female hip-hop artists from the MENA region and musicians of industrial, dark-wave electro music from the West, soon became a fight for relevance in a world determined to question the intention of artists, instead of the intention of art itself.
Through this documentary we explore the barriers that exist for modern-day artists, who must now weigh heavily the desire to play it safe and self-censor, against the devastating impact that this simple act of self-protection could have on the future of art overall.
The music, the lyrics and the messages that are powerfully voiced and provocatively woven throughout the Nafada album were created with intention to inspire a new generation of musicians, artists and activists worldwide.
SOULTANA (CASABLANCA, MOROCCO)
Prostitution is just one of the subversive subjects Soultana, a prominent Moroccan rapper and the first Arab woman in the field, sings about. Soultana, whose real name is Youssra Oakuf, gives no quarter to anyone. “I am saying to all women that they are free and can do whatever they want. That they aren’t subordinate to anyone,” she declares on stage. She has been active for more than a decade and has paved the way to hip-hop for other Arab women.
MEDUSA TN (TUNIS, TUNISIA)
After being immersed from the age of 10 in the hip hop culture, she started break dancing and then came to Rap. She managed to make a place for herself on the male dominated music scene in Tunisia. When she was still a teenager she made her first appearances on stage and participated in projects in Tunisia and abroad. She created a buzz in 2011 in the Arab world when she put on line the song “Tounsiya, proud of it” as part of a German compilation during the Tunisian revolution. It got over 3 million views the night it went public.
MINERVA (RABAT, MOROCCO)
Minerva, a Moroccan rapper from Rabat, starts her career in 2019. Choosing her name in reference to the Roman goddess of wisdom and war, she fashions a mysterious, masked persona driven by creative rage. Her style, a blend of contemporary hip-hop and North African sounds, seduces with its authenticity and emotional power. In 2022, she made a name for herself with BON APPETIT and COBRA, hard-hitting tracks that affirmed her musical identity.
MISS UNDASTOOD (NYC, UNITED STATES)
Miss Undastood (Tavasha) is an educator, public speaker, spoken word and Hip Hop artist. Tavasha started writing rhymes at the age of 11 while attending the Al-Iman school in Queens, New York. It started out as a hobby and later blossomed into a career. Miss Undastood recently has been featured in the Arabia Edition of Vogue Magazine, titled “A New Generation of Female Muslim Emcees Are Navigating Their Identity Through Their Music.”
GOLD LYON (MONTREAL, CANADA)
Canadian born Gold Lyon emerges with a supernatural spin on Melodic Techno and Dark Disco. Gold Lyon exists within a multi-arts universe all to her own, illuminated by LED technology, AI/XR, fashion, music and design.